The present invention relates to an automatic channel-selecting system that returns a receiver to a particular channel after the user has tuned away from that particular channel. The present invention may be used, for example, to avoid commercials in conventional television and radio broadcasts. More specifically, while the user is watching or listening to a first program that is being broadcast on a first channel, the user indicates interest in the first program either explicitly (e.g., by pressing a button) or tacitly (e.g., by measuring dwell time). After the indication of interest, the user is free to change channels as desired, and to watch or listen to other programs. Meanwhile, the system monitors the original channel. When content that matches the first program reappears on the first channel, the system automatically reverts to the first channel.
Television commercials are perceived by many people as an annoying interruption to their television programs. When a commercial appears, some viewers simply wait for the commercials to end, and continue watching the original channel until their program returns. During this time, however, these viewers will be watching something in which they are not interested.
Other viewers will xe2x80x9cchannel surfxe2x80x9d as soon as a commercial appears, in the hopes of finding something that interests them more than the commercial. While these viewers may ultimately find something of interest, channel surfers can never be sure when the original program has returned to the original channel. Thus, when the channel surfer returns to the original channel, he may find that the commercials are still running, or that he has missed part of his program. Even worse, if the channel surfer gets carried away watching a program on an alternate channel, he can miss a large portion of his program
WO 99/31879 is an example of a system that eliminates commercials automatically by changing channels as a soon as a commercial is detected. But operation of this system interferes with the user""s control of the system, because the initial departure from the original channel occurs automatically. In addition, the user can not explicitly specify a particular type of content to which the system will later return.
European Patent Application EP0366001A2 is an example of a system that provides users with more control and allows the users to select a channel that will be automatically returned to after channel surfing. It operates by having the user enable a timer before changing channels. In response to the enabling of the timer, the system stores the channel being watched. The user is then free to change channels as desired. After a predetermined time (e.g., 60, 90, or 120 seconds), the timer times out, and the system automatically switches back to the stored channel. While the EP0366001A2 system prevents users from being carried away watching an alternate program, it cannot correct the problem of returning a viewer to the original channel to soon or too late, since the decision to return to the original channel is based on elapsed time. A solution that would return the viewer to the original program only when the commercial has actually ended would be highly desirable.
The present invention enables a user to store data that characterizes a portion of a program, and to subsequently change channels as desired. When data that characterizes a subsequent portion of the program matches the stored data, the channel switches back to the original program.
One aspect of the present invention relates to a method of returning to a television program being received on a first channel. The method includes the steps of accepting a storage command from a user, and storing data that characterizes the program in response to the storage command. The user is then permitted to change channels. After the user has changed channels, the method detects when data that characterizes a second portion of a broadcast on the first channel matches the stored characterizing data. When a match is detected, the television is returned to the first channel.
Another aspect of the present invention, which is not limited to television, relates to a method of returning to a first program being received by a receiver via a first channel. The method includes the steps of accepting a storage command from a user, and storing data that characterizes the program in response to the storage command. The user is then permitted to change channels. After the user has changed channels, the method detects when data that characterizes a second portion of a broadcast on the first channel matches the stored characterizing data. When a match is detected, the receiver is returned to the first channel.